Tag archives for Polar Regions

You may recall our earlier post about the upcoming second annual International Obscura Day, and perhaps you’ve already made plans to attend one of the expeditions, back-room tours and unusual explorations this coming Saturday, April 9 in 103 cities and towns on all seven continents, from Albuquerque to Wellington, all the way to McMurdo Station…

Last week, we featured Jenna Schnuer’s write-up of the new book Atlas of Remote Islands: Places I Have Never Been and Never Will, and asked you, dear readers, to write in and tell us which remote island most intrigued you and why. And to be honest, it was one of the most vibrant, thoughtful batch…

RED GLACIER, ALASKA Bergs and boulders form islands of ice and rock in the basin of the glacier. Welcome to the latest edition of Library Fridays, where we share an excerpt from one our upcoming titles from National Geographic Books. I was particularly enthused at just hearing the name of this week’s book, From the…

Andrew Evans always dreamed of going to Antarctica. How he’d get there was another story. So he came to us with an idea: He’d take the bus. The rest, as they say, is history. Those of you who followed along with Andrew during his 10-week, 10,000 mile Bus2Antarctica journey learned to love the funny, poignant,…

Andrew Evans gets a taste of Falklands hospitality on Carcass Island. Carcass Island is perhaps the least appetizing name for destination dining, but that’s exactly where I went to eat. As the name implies, I did see a few carcasses on the island, mostly little lumps of penguin bones–the sad endings of a few…

One cannot travel to Antarctica without immediately thinking about those who came before. And one name in particular always stands out: Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose adventures through the ice are some of the more iconic expeditions of all time. Andrew Evans reflects on retracing Shackleton’s footsteps, and the nature of exploration now. Maybe I’ve mentioned…

We have a sneaking suspicion that Andrew Evans traveled the entire 10,000 miles by bus just to hang out with penguins. You don’t have to remind me: I know how lucky I am. I am lucky to travel so much and I am luckiest of all for getting to see so many penguins. I have…

Andrew Evans is back from Antarctica, but he’s still blogging for us here at Intelligent Travel. Today he details the bleak, inhospitable conditions he found in the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia. If you haven’t figured it out yet–I like really remote places. Barren, bleak, far flung–the less accessible, the better. You’d think Antarctica…

The Bus2Antarctica journey continues, as Andrew Evans unpacks his bags and downloads the infinite videos he took while traveling on board the National Geographic Explorer. Today’s topic of interest: Seals. I used to be one of those kids at the zoo with my face pressed against the glass, gazing underwater at the seals twisting and…

Antarctica’s South Georgia Island has a population of several million penguins. I know that for a fact because I think I took that many pictures of them. One of those penguins happened to be black–all black–and perhaps you noticed, that one penguin’s been getting a bit of attention lately. Several people have asked if I…

Andrew Evans has returned from Antarctica, and is now slightly more famous thanks to his black penguin sighting. But he’s still got a lot more of the story to tell… There are no elephants on Elephant Island. I know because I checked. The odd name derives from the huge populations of elephant seals–giant marine mammals…

Andrew Evans may be stuck in Ushuaia, waiting to find his way home, but here on the blog his trip continues, as we’ve only scratched the surface in terms of Antarctic content. In today’s post, Andrew explores the desolate outpost on Deception Island, where he actually went for a swim. There is a reason that…

Andrew Evans takes us along for a cruise on board the National Geographic Explorer. This is not a pleasure cruise–Lindblad Expeditions is quite clear that the experience they offer is one of real exploration and expedition. On so many days I’m up and out on the front deck before six in the morning in order…

Andrew Evans, we love you, but today you’re killing us with jealousy. Be very jealous. I got to hold a penguin in my lap. I really didn’t plan on it. There are rules about these things. The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) guidelines and the Antarctic Treaty forbid the touching of any wildlife–in…

Andrew Evans takes a moment to follow in other explorers’ footsteps and name a piece of Antarctica. By the time humans entered the modern age, we had already assigned names to most everything on our planet. Then came Antarctica–a whole continent filled with mountains, glaciers and penguins all waiting to be named. The naming of…

Andrew Evans explores the Antarctic Peninsula. I think weather is the only thing that really matters in Antarctica–weather and luck. And I think most every Antarctic explorer would agree with me. Scott had a turn of bad weather–he and his team perished. Shackleton had a good wind that carried him all the way to South…

Andrew Evans reflects on his six weeks of haphazard bus-filled travels, and the wonder of actually setting foot on Antarctica. You’ve all been very patient readers. Thank you. I’ve been waiting a long time, too. It’s taken me six weeks to get to Antarctica and I’ve found out that the closer I get, the…

For Andrew Evans, passing over the Antarctic Circle was akin to crossing a sacred finish line. I’ve crossed a lot of lines on this journey–state lines, borderlines, the equator, both tropics (Cancer and Capricorn), along with the many ticket lines that stood between me and my ultimate southern goal. Out of all these lines the…

Andrew Evans offers us a glimpse inside his cabin on board the National Geographic Explorer. Anyone else feel like stowing away? Andrew Evans is tweeting about his travels aboard the National Geographic Explorer at @Bus2Antarctica. Want more? Follow the map of his journey, bookmark all of his blog posts, watch videos, and get the full…

Andrew Evans encounters his first iceberg on his way to Antarctica (while wearing a penguin shirt, naturally). Just like the very first Antarctic explorers (Ross, Wilkes, and Captain Cook), my first sign that I was getting warmer (i.e. getting closer) showed up in the form of this giant ice cube that bobbed in the sea…

After traveling through the Americas by bus, Andrew Evans boarded the MV National Geographic Explorer and set sail for Antarctica. Waiting a lifetime for your dream to come true one day–well, that’s hard. Waiting one whole day for that lifelong dream to come true is harder still. And yet, that is what must be done…

National Geographic Traveler contributing editor Andrew Evans traveled for over 45 days, taking buses from Washington D.C. through the Americas with one mission in mind: Getting on board the boat that would take him to Antarctica. Here, he describes the bliss of actually climbing onto the deck of the MV National Geographic Explorer. The world’s…

Our oh-so-telegenic contributing editor Andrew Evans checked in with the news crew at Fox 5 in D.C. again this morning, and recapped some of his most recent exploits from his trip over Skype. You can find his prior interviews with Fox online at their website.

If you’ve been following along with the Bus2Antarctica project, both at Andrew’s Twitter feed @Bus2Antarctica, and here on the blog, you know we’re just a few steps behind him in his travels, as he’s been sending us dispatches and amazing video feeds from his journey when he gets the time and Internet access to file.…

Contributing writer Cathy Healy reports from snowbound Washington, DC, where the snowfall has broken all previous records. How to stay warm in such weather? She reveals a tip from a friend who’s just back from Patagonia. The snow stormed down on us like an emptied sack of flour and we slogged back under the…

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